To not understand how a third of Y1 has SEN?

[Powersout]

I mean of course it's possible but statistically wouldn't this be very unlikely? My daughter is Y1 in a mainstream state school, 2 form entry so 60 kids in all. I have a friend who is a governor and she has told me that there are 20 kids in the year with SEN and that she learnt this last year when they were in Reception. I have to admit that I wasn't totally sure as to what counts as SEN but even after looking at the definition I'm puzzled as to how so many kids had recognised SEN in Reception - if they had ADHD or dyslexia then this wouldn't have been diagnosed at this point would it? What counts as a SEN diagnosis - could a parent just state that their child is anxious on an entry form and this go down as SEN?

I have to admit that I am a little concerned about the impact of my child's teacher having to deal with all these additional needs and teach the kids who don't have SEN at an appropriate level. I know that they have to tailor the curriculum accordingly but I'm worried my DDs progress could be hindered somewhat.

Am I being unreasonable to find this level of SEN shocking and be concerned about the impact on my child?

Those saying this information is publicly available in minutes etc, would percentages of SEN pupils per year group be reported or a figure for the whole school?

The figures on Gov.uk, published in June 2023, for schools in general, are 4.3% with an EHC plan and 13% with SEN support/SEN without an EHC plan, so a total of 17.3%

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england

And looks like the most unpleasant people jump on late at night too! Isn't that a form of gaslighting - it's my personal characteristics that caused my friend to tell me a stat that is not unequivocally confidential!!

Ooh, another late night SEN/ND thread.

Yep. There will be plenty who will lap it up. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

And looks like the most unpleasant people jump on late at night too! Isn't that a form of gaslighting - it's my personal characteristics that caused my friend to tell me a stat that is not unequivocally confidential!!

Many posters are fed up with the ‘labels are given out like sweets these days’ type posts. These posters know what they’re doing coming on late at night. Sad.

Governor minutes are available to read by the public, so the % of SEN children may be available. Obviously discussing which children are on the register is a big no no.

You clearly don’t know how the system works. Support, benefits, funding etc. are based no needs, not diagnosis. No-one gets preferential treatment by having a diagnosis.

Oh gosh, I really didn't think I was opening that can of worms. TBH, I hadn't thought of speech delay/vision issues when considering what counts as SEN and now I realise that probably accounts for the majority of cases, my question's been answered and I'll bow out of the late night debate!

Or selective mutism or attachment disrobed. Or have cochlears. Or anixiety which impacts daily life.

I would say 15% of the class should have IPs.
Why does it matter?

Exactly what I planned to say

I suspect for this age group covid will be a major factor in delays and sen. So I would expect a higher % of sen.

Oh gosh, I really didn't think I was opening that can of worms.

The faux naivety. As a pp said, you knew what you were doing.

Thanks for telling me what my intentions were (think I know them better than you). Such nasty people around...

Her support was sitting near front, making sure staff looking at her so she could lip read and having 5/10 mins speech therapy daily.

Always interested to know how this sort of support plays out in class where say 2 or more kids also need to sit in the front with staff looking at them so they can lip read. Who does the staff look at instead of the other? Do they take turns?

What if everyone who's in front or near the front is supposed to be there, based on the support plan, and there's no more space but there are others who also need to be in the front - where do they go?

It must be tough as a teacher trying to cater to many children with both different and similar extra needs at the same time. Schools really need more (well paid) qualified teachers in each class.

There seems to be a professional pride and a martyr mentality amongst teaching staff that prevents them from loudly announcing and protesting in the streets about this but it’s happening.

Is it (only) professional pride and a martyr mentality or (also/actually) fear of backlash and possible accusations of intolerance/ableism, etc from the general public if they complained?

Different schools report/record in different ways. Some will just give year group percentages, others will break that down further into boys/girls, vulnerable groups and also the different types of needs. Governors need to understand where the greater needs are and what resources are available, what impact is on staff wellbeing, what funding will be needed in future years, if any building changes required (for physical disabilities). Needs are rising in all cohorts and the impact from Covid is only just becoming apparent.

I’m a governor at 2 different schools, at one school all the minutes from all meetings are published on the school website and the other has them upon request.
The minutes are always anonymised, so no personal details are on there but they have all sorts of details in them. How many looked after children, SEN registers, student absences, how many detentions are given out and the reason why, plus loads of other stuff.
It’s not a secret, but it’s always stressed at the beginning of each meeting that it is confidential and shouldn’t be discussed outside the meeting. Your friend really shouldn’t be talking to you about anything.

My twins are on sen as both type one diabetic.

If a child could be identified from the minutes ie there is only 1 child that falls within a particular category, then those minutes would be deemed part 2 and not publishable

Those saying GDPR has been breached clearly don't understand GDPR, there's no breach as no personal or identifying information has been released.

Lucrative benefits and preferential treatment you say? Lovely. Where do I go to get all this then because my two DC have definitely been missing out....

You know, it's funny, but the almost universal experience of SEN parents is having to fight their arses off to get even the basic needs of their children met because actually there's FUCK ALL funding in the education system. Even the requirements set out on an EHCP are often not fulfilled - and that's supposed to be a legally binding document.

SEN provisions in this country are fucking woeful. And that's why so many SEN parents are forced into home education, because often there just isn't a decent provision. Teachers are forced to try and accommodate quite substantial needs within a mainstream environment, and the local authorities try their very best to refuse any requests for an EHCP.

So please, do tell me again about these mythical benefits that you think SEN children and families receive. Because as a parent of two SEN DC, one with very high needs, I can tell you that what you're suggesting is utter bollocks.

Absolutely agree with this.

I was the SEN governor for a primary school for over five years, including a stint as acting Chair of Governors.

Statistical information such as the number of SEN children is absolutely not confidential, unless disclosing the number in a certain class could identify a specific child.

As PP have said, schools provide the statistics differently, but the overarching principle is that parents are entitled to know the demographics of the pupil population, including the number of SEN children.

Our school had around 35% SEN pupils and that was considered to be extremely high. We had a specialist unit attached to the mainstream - a Communication and Interaction Centre. This operated as a special school, with the pupils not following the National Curriculum. However, it provided the opportunity for some access to mainstream classes for pupils who were able to manage limited time (with support obviously).

Because of the C&I Centre, our school had a reputation for being outstanding for SEN, and we had a lot of pupils arrive after they'd been in a PRU because they couldn't manage at other mainstream schools. The proximity and expertise within the C&I Centre, and the fact that these pupils spent time in the mainstream meant that even our mainstream teachers were extremely proficient in supporting SEN.

However, lack of funding and resources in the current education system means that there's not an infinite pot to dip into, and some of our most gifted pupils weren't stretched enough. We did occasionally have parents remove their child from the school because they felt they weren't being pushed hard enough and would achieve more elsewhere. Teachers aren't magicians and with the current trend of forcing SEN children into a mainstream environment - regardless of whether it's the best place for them - there is always going to be some fallout. Certainly in our area there are schools which are recognised for having high achieving pupils but perhaps aren't as good with SEN, and other schools who are outstanding at identifying and supporting SEN, but don't get such high scores on SATs etc.

Well said

The ignorance of some posters beggars belief.

Your experience is exceptional. That’s not even close to the norm.